peabody



GFFICE.

H. 0. PEABODY, 01" P ROVIDENUE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO. THEPROVIDENCE TOUL COMPANY, 01" SAME PLAGE.

lMPRGVEMENT IN BREECH-LONNG FiRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters PatentrNo. 72,076, dated December10, 1867.

To l1.11A irllom it muy concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY O. PEABODY i `of the city and county ofProvidence, in the Sta-te of Rhode island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Breach-Loading Fire-Arms and I do hereby declarethat the following specification, taken in connection with the drawingsmaking a part of the same, is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof'.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a breech-loading lire-arm asis necessary to exhibit the application of the iinprov'ement. Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the breech block detached. Fig. 3 is a top View ofthe same.

'.ihe invention herein described is especially suited to he applied tothat variety of breechloading fire-arms which is described iu theLetters Patent of the United States granted to me on the 22d day ofJuly, A. D. 1862, and in the reissue Letters Patent for the sameinvention, bearing date Marcil 1.3, 1866.

I propose, by the present improvement, to cause the hammer' to act as ameans for insuring the bringing ofthe breecli-blockto the position inwhich it should be when the gun; is to be tired, and also of lockingfastsuch breech-block, so as to prevent any tendency to displacement bythe recoil of the charge, and incidentally by this improvement todispense with the guard-lever upon the under side of the stock forworking the breech-block.

All the parts of the weapon, except in the particulars hereinaftermentioned, are constlucted and arranged substantially as described inthe reissue Letters Patent above mentioned, and to which reference maybe had.

In the accompanying drawing, the breechblock A, which it is understoodis hinged at 11,50 as to swing in a mortise eut in the breech, at therear of and in line with the bore of the barrel, is furnished with ataiLpiece, B, extending backward, the end ot' which should be turned upand from a thumb-aud-iinger hold, b. When the breech-block is in theproper position for its anterior end to cover the chamber of the gun,the tail-piece B is received into a chamber made in the stock or taligof the barrel, so that its top surface, with the exception of theportion b, is iush with 1bhe surface of the steels,y By means of thistail-piece, in place of the guard-lever heretofore used, thebreech-biock can be readily operatcd'in manipulating the gun, Where thehammer, as will be presently explained, does not act to hold thebreeeliblock fast.

For the purpose of locking the breech-block simultaneously with ring thecartridge, and

for insuring the breech-block being in place 4neck of the hammer whenthe latter is down,

the shank of the hammer being-bent over far enough to cause the undersurface ofthe ham' iners neck, when the hammer is down, to be imposedupon the upper surface ofthe protuberance C. inasmuch' as, indepressingthe anterior end ofthe brocoli-block, the protuberance C wouldrequire to move in an arc which would intersectthe are which thehammerhead D occupies, itis quite obvious thatthe breech-block cannot bemoved without first drawing back the hammer to the half-cock, so

that its head will -be out of the path 6i' travel of theprotuberance C;and it is also obvious that, if it so chances that the breech-block hasnot been brought to the position for firing after the insertion of acartridge, it 4will bei quite impossible for the hammer to strike theringneedle E until after the aetionof' the hammer in falling, has, by`the impact of the under surface of its head against the upper snrfaceofthe protuberant plane C, brought the breech-block into its properrelation to the barrel.

Upon the under side of the breech-block I attach a fiat spring, e, the.end of which is bent, and plays into one or the other of two notches, de, Fig. 1. according as 'the anterior end of the block is depressed toallow a cartridge to be properly inserted, or is raised so that theblockmay be in line with the barrel, and the oijce of which is to retain thebreechbiock in that one of the two positionsnamed in which it may fortbe time be placed.

' As an incident of the improvements in construction described, l amenabled to dispense with the guarddever foroperating the breech blockheretofore employed, and to that'extent simplify the weapon. 1npractice, also, one

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

Combining the breech-block A, hinged at its posterior' extremity, andoperating as described, with the hammer D by means of the protuberantinclined plane C, or its equivalent, substantially as described, for thepurposes specified.

H. O. PEABODY.

Witnesses: l

' JOHN D, THURSTON,

WILLIAM W. RIGKARD.

